Galaxy Cluster Stuns Scientists—Supermassive and Spewing Out Stars

nationalgeographic.com ^ | August 15, 2012 | Andrew Fazekas

[Berlin_Freeper]

It seemed too good to be true: a superbright newfound galaxy cluster possibly more massive than any other known, forging fresh stars nearly a thousand times faster than normal.

[zeugma]

BFLV

[EDINVA]

Seriously! I can never square the universe - the numbers or the photos - with folks who insist there is no Creator. That disbelieve can only be a vanity (or fear) of the professed atheist.

[dfwgator]

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Captain Beyond.

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[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Captain Beyond.

• Undead galaxy cluster spews 700 zombie baby stars A YEAR

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[AFPhys]

The easiest way to think about this is to consider that (according to the way we measure distance) the universe is about 14 billion years old. That means that the galaxy discovered is approximately 5.7/14 = 40% of the radius of the universe away from us...

It will take a long time for us to get there to check it out in person... barring, of course, the super-ultra-hyperdrive device I am working on.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks Captain Beyond, it’s an ‘extra, extra’ ping to APoD members, should have done this when it first appeared. One of two topics about this. :’)

[NYer]

WOW! And what the scientists are seeing (at 5.7 billion light years from Earth) all happened nearly 600 million years before the Earth was even here!

Like EDINVA, it is impossible to grasp these numbers and distances. What stood out for me in the NatGeo article and put things into better perspective was this.

It's so massive, McDonald said, that our own galaxy group—not quite a cluster, at about 30 galaxies, including the Milky Way—has only about 0.1 percent the mass of Phoenix.

The Milky Way Galaxy

Number of stars within 50 000 light years = 200 billion

And even this is a stretch for the imagination.

[SunkenCiv]

Deputy Barney Fife should pop up in the digital displays at these observatories shouting, “it’s BIG! Big big!” ;’)

[NYer]

Lol! Thanks for that ping and post :-)